From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
IDF slams right-wing Israeli network Channel 14 for mockery of military chief
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF, in an unusual step, slams the far-right Channel 14 TV network for broadcasting a clip yesterday making fun of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Herzi Halevi.
“I am contacting you following the video published last night on Channel 14, which included inflammatory and defamatory content that harms the IDF. It is inconceivable that a media channel in the State of Israel gives a platform for inflammatory content against the IDF during a war,” reads a letter addressed to the network by IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.
Hagari writes that the military is “not afraid of criticism and even encourages an open and sharp public discourse” on the IDF amid the war.
“However, the content that was broadcast yesterday on Channel 14 crosses a red line. This is deliberate incitement and humiliation of the IDF and its commanders during a war. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Channel 14 has taken such actions towards the IDF,” the letter reads.
כשהרמטכ"ל ראה את הפאץ' של המשיח#הפטריוטים@YinonMagal pic.twitter.com/tD2kDNKunZ
— עכשיו 14 (@Now14Israel) October 22, 2024
The IDF says it expects the network to delete the content.
The letter was also sent to the Second Authority for Television and Radio, a key regulatory and licensing body for commercial broadcasting in Israel, the defense minister and the communication minister.
The video aired by the network last night made fun of an incident in which Halevi removed a velcro patch a soldier was wearing on his arm, which was not military-issued. The IDF chief put the patch in the soldier’s pocket and reportedly told him “If you want, you can put it close to your heart, but on the uniform, only military things.”
